The Atomic Mr. Basie

Originally titled Basie, with the subtitle E=MC2, the album was recorded on October 21 and 22, 1957. Every track on the original release was composed and arranged by Neal Hefti. It was the first Basie album issued by Roulette Records, with Teddy Reig producing. Part of the second day went on pieces by the arranger Jimmy Mundy, including Silks and Satins and Sleepwalker's Serenade, and these were released only in 1994 on The Complete Atomic Basie.

Hefti's pieces include Li'l Darlin' and Splanky, now standards. The Kid from Red Bank features a sparse Basie piano solo, Flight of the Foo Birds a tenor solo by Eddie Lockjaw Davis, and Fantail an alto solo by Frank Wess. Barry Ulanov's liner notes said Hefti had matched his talent to the band's. Hefti won two Grammy awards for his composing on the record, and the album itself won Best Jazz Performance, Group and Best Performance by a Dance Band at the first Grammys.

Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums voted it number 411. Bruce Eder of AllMusic gave it five stars and called it a bold, forward-looking statement within a big-band recording.